I've just returned from a 10 day concert tour around the south-west of Ireland, during which I met many interesting and unforgettable characters. This is perhaps my favourite aspect of travelling, especially to places that are new or that you really don't get to go to often; coming across wonderful people with lives and personalities that you didn't know existed - it is such a refreshing break from your own life!
During the tour we had a bus to take us to each different concert venue, to rehearsals, to meals and back home again. The bus belonged to one man, who we were lucky enough to get as our bus driver for the whole tour. This man, Tom, was so interesting to me, such a beautiful person, that I really wanted to try and capture him in a blog post, so as not to forget him.
He was an elderly man, with only a few teeth and an incredibly strong southern Irish accent, so that I would often have trouble understanding him. He was there to pick us up every morning at 9am, with a bright smile on his face, and a welcome to his bus, looking smart in a suit even when we had just rolled out of bed and were still half-asleep. He was there to take us home after concerts late at night, when we had suddenly come alive and were at our most rowdy. He even came to watch our concerts, and was full of praise for us. He cleaned up spilled beer (and who knows what else), he was amazingly patient with us, often waiting around for hours and hours, and he laughed at our bad jokes.
I was really touched by this person. He was so simple and yet... just beautiful! Never getting annoyed or losing patience, always there for us but not ever wishing to impose on us, just happy to go along with the fun. I feel inspired by him, and I wish I could approach my life in a similar way; just going with the flow and not getting stressed or upset by things. Tom was so nice and so sweet, wouldn't it be wonderful to be remembered by those qualities too?
Tom was the one who made the tour run smoothly (for the most part), and I am so thankful to have met him. His simplicity was gorgeous and what made him so personable. I definitely won't forget him!
Labels: Thoughts
